The Ark Brought into the Temple
1 yThen Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord zout of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the afeast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
The Lord Has Chosen Zion
A Song of Ascents.
1 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2 show he swore to the Lord
and vowed to tthe Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will unot give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
xwe found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us yworship at his footstool!”
8 zArise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your amight.
9 Let your priests be bclothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
11 The Lord eswore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body1
I will set on your fthrone.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”
13 For gthe Lord has hchosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will isatisfy her poor with bread.
16 jHer priests I will kclothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There lI will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a mlamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will nclothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”
4 And all the elders of Israel came, and cthe Levites took up the ark. 5 dAnd they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, esacrificing fso many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 7 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim gspread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its hpoles. 9 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. And they are1 there ito this day. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the jtwo tablets that Moses kput there at Horeb, where the Lord lmade a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
1 tGive thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for uhis steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the vGod of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the wLord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who xby understanding ymade the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who zspread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who amade the bgreat lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 to him who cstruck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and dbrought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who edivided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but foverthrew1 Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who gled his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 hto him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 iSihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and jOg, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who kgives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
11 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, 12 and all the Levitical msingers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; 13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,
n“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever,”
othe house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a pcloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
